Perfect
by Tina101
Summary: How far will Lily go to be perfect for a certain ravenhaired boy? Rated for thematic plot, and mild language
1. Chapter 1

**Perfect: **A Lily and James fan fic.

**Chapter 1:**

Lily Evans sat on the bed of her own room. Finally, at the age of 17, she had the privacy she needed and wanted. If she wasn't sharing a dorm with her best friends Deana Householder and Jessica Coombs, at school, she was sharing a room with her younger sister Petunia. But now, now she had finally her own room. The best part was that James Potter lived in the room next to her. Lily had had a crush on James since she had met him, but refused to admit it. Somehow, James had made Head Boy, so they shared a private Common Room. Right now, James was downstairs with his friends and partners in crime, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Deana and Jessica had already stopped by to see Lily, but when Sirius, Remus, and Peter had come to see James they had left leaving Lily alone.

"Alone," muttered Lily as she lay down on her four-poster bed, her red hair fanning our around her. Everything was going to work out this year. Earlier, Deana had come bursting into her room, exclaiming that James had a crush on Lily, and that that was why he acted like such a prat around her.

"But that doesn't make any sense! Why would he act like _that_ if he likes me?" demanded Lily.   
"Because he's a guy?" replied Deana uncertainly.

"So, what're you going to do?" asked Jessica.

"I don't know," Lily replied. "Right now, I need to think." Deana and Jessica took a hint, and had left. "James likes me! I can't believe it. After the way he treated me," Lily told her reflection.

That night, when Lily was changing for the night, she stopped. Scowling, she looked at her stomach.

"Starting tomorrow, I'm going on a diet," she promised herself. Lily then pulled on a large t-shirt, and crawled into bed. For the first time since Petunia had been born, Lily slept in her own room. She slept soundly, and woke up early the next morning.

Stumbling out of bed, Lily made her way to the bathroom to shower. James was nowhere to be seen, so she concluded that he was still asleep. The hot water rushed over her, and the silence was soothing. That is, until there was a knock on the door.

"Lily?" James asked. "Are you in there? Can I come in?"

"One sec," Lily replied as she turned off the shower, and wrapped a towel around her. "Okay, come in." James came in, and was slightly surprised to find Lily in only a towel.

"Um…I can come back in a few minutes, so you can get dressed," he offered.

"It's okay, I'll change in the stall," she replied. Lily then grabbed her clothes, and went into the nearest stall. She heard a shower running a few minutes later.

"You know I could have waited, Evans," James said over the sound of running water. Lily rolled her eyes at her nickname.

"Its okay, James. I guess I'll have to get used to it anyway."

"Hey, um, Lily, do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next month?" Lily froze. Was James _actually_ asking her out on a date?

"Evans? Are you with me?"

"James Potter, who put you up to this? Sirius? Remus? How about Deanna and Jessica?" she demanded.

"Nobody. I've, I've been meaning to ask you for a while." James turned off the water, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

"Are you done changing, James?" Lily asked.

"Hold on," James replied quickly as he pulled on a pair of boxers. "Okay, but I'm only in boxers."

"I think I'll live," Lily said sarcastically. Lily came out wearing jeans and a tight fitting black t-shirt. She couldn't believe how _good_ James looked. His body definitely looked good from years of Quidditch.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked yet again. Lily could tell that he wasn't joking.

"You were serious, weren't you?" she asked quietly.

"I've never been more serious in my life. Just ask Padfoot."

Lily crossed her arms over her chest, and said, "I've seen you in class, Prongs, and I believe you." James smiled, and looked at his feet, causing his jet black hair to fall in his eyes. In a few quick strides, Lily was standing in front of him.

"Why are you acting so weird?" she asked him. "I've seen you with _tons_ of girls, including Deanna and Jessica, so why are you acting so unlike you?"

James mumbled, "I've never felt this way about a girl before."

Surprised, Lily said, "I'll let you finish changing," and she was gone.

James couldn't believe what he had just done. He had practically told Lily that he was in love with her. Lily Evans! Lily Evans, the world's biggest kiss up. James shook his head as he continued to get dressed.

Meanwhile, Lily was staring at herself in the mirror in the Common Room. Pouting, she stared at her stomach. James came bounding out of the bathroom, and handed Lily her school robes.

"You left these in the bathroom," he said. Lily smiled slightly, and took the robes. Their hands touched, and they felt an instant connection. James tilted Lily's face up towards his, and his lips came crashing down on hers. Lily was surprised at first, but she kissed him back. Suddenly, she pulled away, and took a step back. James ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I shouldn't have done that." Lily looked at her feet. James could tell that she was blushing.

"We should get to breakfast," she said. As they walked through the Portrait Hole, Lily slipped her hand into James'.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

It didn't surprise everyone at the Gryffindor table when Lily and James started arriving to meals hand-in-hand. During dinner one Saturday, Lily stood up abruptly, and gave James a kiss on the cheek.

"I have some homework to do," she explained when James looked at her curiously. "I'll see you back at the Common Room." James nodded, and watched Lily walk out of the Great Hall. No one noticed that her plate still had the same amount of food that it did when she had filled it up with food.

Deanna remarked, "It's weird not to see you both screaming and fighting with each other at all hours." James scowled at her.

"We didn't fight _all_ the time!" James protested, as everyone bust out laughing.

"Prongs," Sirius said. "You and Evans fought religiously. It was actually pretty amusing. The Gryffindor common has become incredibly quiet ever since you two became Heads." James shook his head in disbelief. His friends were turning against him.

James finished his meal, and went up to the Common Room. Lily was curled up on the couch with a book open on her lap. She was so completely engrossed in her book that she didn't hear him come in. James took advantage of this, and went up behind her, covering her emerald green eyes with his hands.

"Guess who," he whispered in her ear. Lily smiled.

"Hello James," she said. James kissed her neck right below her jawbone. Lily shifted slightly in her seat. "James, I'm trying to study."

"You're trying to study, huh?" he said between kisses. Lily nodded. "Studying? What good is studying when I can give you this?" Without warning, James began to kiss Lily on the lips. Lily began to deepen the kiss as James climbed over the back of the couch, and on top of her. He ran her fingers through her hair with one hand, and brushed his other hand over her stomach. Lily panicked for a second. Did he think that she was fat! She tried to move into a more comfortable position, but ended up rolling both of them onto the floor. James instantly began to laugh. Trying not to laugh, Lily slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"We should get some homework done tonight," she said.

"But I like this better." Lily tried to get up, but James had a strong arm around her waist.

"Come on, Prongs. Let me go. I have work to get done." Reluctantly, James let her go. Lily gathered up her books, and went up to her room to finish studying.

A few hours later, James knocked on the door to Lily's room with two Butterbeers and some Chocolate Frogs. He opened the door, and found Lily packing up her books for the night.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lily. I thought you could use something to eat, but I can see that you're ready to turn in for the night," he said.

Lily replied, "I'm not that hungry, but thanks. I'll, I guess I'll see you in the morning." Without letting James say anything else, she ushered him out of her room, locking the door behind him.

James stood outside Lily's room for a few minutes, _very_ confused. How could Lily not be hungry? He had seen her plate before he left dinner, and it was full. James decided that his mind was practically shut off from the lack of sleep, and he decided that he'd talk to Lily after Quidditch practice the following day. He went back to his room, and locked up the food in his school trunk, a habit he picked up after Sirius kept going through his trunk for food every night. Sighing, he flopped down on his bed, and closed his eyes. Suddenly, James felt exhausted. He put his glasses on his night table, and fell asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, Lily wasn't at breakfast. When Sirius asked James where she was, he said that she was probably in the library studying.

"She left dinner early _last_ night to study! Even Mooney doesn't study that much!" exclaimed Sirius.

"Gee, thanks Padfoot," Remus said sarcastically.

"Hey, anytime." Remus rolled his eyes, and went back to eating. "So Prongs, you haven't seen Evans since this morning?" Sirius asked. James shook his head.

"Just last night. We hung out for a little while, but then she locked herself in her room all night. She was doing homework."

"You know," Deanna said after taking a sip of Pumpkin Juice. "Maybe Dumbledore made you Head Boy in hopes that Lily's study habits would rub off on you." Everyone burst out laughing, and congratulated Deanna on her comment. James shook his head again, smiling.

"No, Mooney's study habits would have rubbed off on me and Padfoot long ago if it was just a matter of _being_ with the person." James paused, and looked towards the door.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Jessica.

"It's Lily. Something's up with her, and I don't know what," replied James quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

As another week passed, the Marauders, Jessica, and Deanna noticed that something really _was_ wrong with Lily. She was never at meals, and when she was, she barely ate anything. Whenever someone asked her why she wasn't at meals, she would either say that she was too busy studying or she had been really tired, and had fallen asleep. One Saturday during dinner, James stood up suddenly, and announced that he was gong to do something about Lily. Without waiting for someone to protest, he stormed out of the room. When he got back to the Common Room, Lily wasn't anywhere in sight. James went up to his room, and pulled out some Chocolate Frogs and a Butterbeer. He then went to Lily's room.

Lily was lying down on her bed with her arms draped over her eyes when James knocked on her door. Groaning, she sat up, and told him that he could come in. James dumped the food on the bed, and sat down across from Lily.

"What's this?" she asked.

James replied, "Dinner. Your dinner. You haven't been eating much lately, and everyone's worried about you. So, I brought you something." Lily struggled to smile. She was actually terrified; she could see where this was going.

"I'm not hungry," she said shortly, pushing the food towards James. He leaned against one of the poles holding up the canopy, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, then I guess I'll have to sit here and wait until you _are_ hungry."

"You're wasting your time. I ate a little while ago while you were down at dinner. I prefer to eat up here alone."

"The _hell_ you do, Evans! Now eat the damn food! I'm not leaving until you do!"

Slowly, Lily picked up a Chocolate Frog. She figured that if she ate just one, that it would get James off her case for at least a little wile. Lily opened the package, and at the piece of candy. It felt like a lead weight in her stomach. She gave James a smug look, and shoved him out of the room.

"Happy now?" she demanded. Lily brushed past James stiffly, and ran towards the bathroom. She locked the door, and put a silencing charm on it. She felt sick to her stomach. After spending a few minutes gagging in the bathroom, she went back out to the empty Common Room. It was then that Lily realized how dizzy she felt. She lay down on the couch, and (get rid of soon) passed out from the lack of food.

When James woke up the next morning, he just assumed that Lily had fall asleep on the couch, and went down to breakfast.

"Where's Evans?" Sirius asked. James sighed as he sat down across from his best friend.

"Asleep on the couch. We sorta got into a fight last night." James went on to explain the events from the night before. He stopped when he got to the part when he saw Lily come out of the bathroom.

"So, she flipped out when you forced her to eat something?" asked Jessica slowly. She stopped to think. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "I think I know what's wrong with Lily, but it's not good. James, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer honestly." James nodded. "Have you _ever_ put pressure on Lily to loose weight?" James scowled.

"Why would I do that? Is that what you think is wrong with Lily? That she is starving herself to lose weight?

"Prongs, Prongs, calm down," Remus said, resting a hand on James' arm. "Jessica was just suggesting something. Why don't you ask Lily about it tonight, and if she overreacts again, _then_ we'll talk to Professor Dumbledore ."

"Yeah, okay. I guess that's what I'll do."

Later that day, Remus found Lily leaning up against a wall with her eyes closed. She appeared to be taking big, deep breaths.

"Lily, are you alright?" Remus asked, resting a hand on her shoulder. Lily jumped and spun around.

"Remus! You startled me! Yeah, I'm fine, I just don't feel well; that's all."

"Maybe you should go see Madame Promfrey then. We can't have our Head Girl sick!" Lily shook her head. "Well, I'll, um….I'll see you at lunch then." Lily smiled weakly as she watched Remus walk away. Merlin, did she feel sick! She felt like she was going to pass out. Holding her books close to her chest, Lily walked to her next class.

That evening, James waited for Lily to return from the library. He paced back and forth across the Common Room, not knowing what to say to Lily when she came back. After a few minutes, James heard the Portrait Hole open, and Lily walk in.

"Hey, um, Lily could I talk to you?" he asked her.

"Not now, Prongs. I have homework to do," she said stiffly as she walked by him. James grabbed Lily's arm, and swung her around, so her body was pressed against his.

"That's what I want to talk to you about." There was a flicker of fear in Lily's eyes. "You never eat, you always claim that you're too busy studying. _Why_ are you really avoiding meals?" Lily tried to pull away from James, who reluctantly let her go. She ran into the bathroom. She was so mad that she forgot to lock the door.

James waited a few minutes before following Lily. When he opened the bathroom door, he was shocked at what he saw. Lily was changing for bed with her back to him. He could easily see every one of her ribs. James slowly closed the door. Once the door was closed he ran up to him room and slammed the door, allowing himself to vent some frustration. Why was Lily trying to lose weight? She was skinny enough! James sat down on the couch, and put his head in his hands. Fifteen minutes later, he heard the bathroom door open. Running his hands through his hair, he stood up for another round with Lily.

"Go away Potter," Lily said shortly as she walked towards her room. She had on baggy plaid pajama pants and a baggy black shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a bun.

James grabbed Lily's arm firmly, and said, "Oh, no, not until we talk. I care very deeply about you, so please tell me why you're not eating." He tried to look into her eyes, but she kept averting her gaze. "Dammit, Lily! Look me in the eyes and tell me why you aren't eating!" Tears silently slid down Lily's cheeks.

"You're hurting me, James! _Please_ let me go!"

"Not until you talk to me!"

"There's nothing to talk about! Now let me go!" With surprising force, Lily pulled free of James' grip. When she got to her door, she froze. James noticed that she was swaying slightly, and had put her hand out for balance.

"Lily? Lily are you alright?" he asked her slowly. Suddenly, Lily's knees buckled, and James rushed forward to catch her.


End file.
